--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acting might bring on emotional…" description: "\"Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing tired your brains out. Writing led to depression and insomnia and walking around all day with a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/richard-yates-2840_acting_acting-might-bring-on-emotional-exhausti_732095.png" --- # Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing… ![“Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing tired your brains out. Writing led to depression and insomnia and walking around all day with a haggard look.” quote by Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/richard-yates-2840_acting_acting-might-bring-on-emotional-exhausti_732095.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/richard-yates-2840_acting_acting-might-bring-on-emotional-exhausti_732095.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/richard-yates-2840_acting_acting-might-bring-on-emotional-exhausti_732095.png) > “Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing tired your brains out. Writing led to depression and insomnia and walking around all day with a haggard look.” [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work can drain emotional energy, leading to burnout, depression, and physical fatigue. **In simple terms:** Creative effort can cause mental and physical exhaustion. Key Takeaway Balance creativity with rest. Themes mental health creativity burnout Mood tired reflective Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - writing - artistic projects - high‑stress jobs - daily routines Key Concepts psychology self-care Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize early signs of creative burnout? - What habits protect your mental health while working? A Different Perspective Rest and recovery are essential to sustain creative output. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Exhaustion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhaustion/) [Insomnia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomnia/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [And let's not forget that internally, we are, like all dying empires, being hollowed out from the inside in terms of infrastructure. I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/and-let-s-not-forget-that-internally-we-are-like-all-dying-empires/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Too much had happened already. Mental and emotional exhaustion had completely taken over my life lately, and today had pushed me to the brink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gayle/too-much-had-happened-already-mental-and-emotional-exhaustion-had/) [Catherine Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-gayle/) > [I lived in New York, and I was the guy who was flying home almost every week, so there was a physical exhaustion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jacobson/i-lived-in-new-york-and-i-was-the-guy-who-was-flying-home-almost/) [Peter Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jacobson/) > [It's so funny, because right now I'm very tired and my brains a little dead, I tend to get very focused and serious. So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/it-s-so-funny-because-right-now-i-m-very-tired-and-my-brains-a-little/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [There are days when I should be writing, and I am so tired that I can't. And the fatigue also affects my emotions, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-griffith/there-are-days-when-i-should-be-writing-and-i-am-so-tired-that-i-can/) [Nicola Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-griffith/) > [“Whether someone is a CEO of a major corporation or is serving meals in a diner, failure to adopt a mindful approach will mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/whether-someone-is-a-ceo-of-a-major-corporation-or-is-serving-meals/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [“Emotional exhaustion follows fast on the footsteps of physical and mental depletion. I feel my lifeblood draining away in an oily spigot of inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/emotional-exhaustion-follows-fast-on-the-footsteps-of-physical-and/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“managed to break my nose on my own knee, which, although it was clearly an extraordinary achievement, had the same effect on me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/managed-to-break-my-nose-on-my-own-knee-which-although-it-was-clearly/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ \[W.H.R.\] Rivers is the Rider Haggard of anthropology; I shall be the Conrad. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/w-h-r-rivers-is-the-rider-haggard-of-anthropology-i-shall-be-the/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [I listen to Lil Wayne, and then I listen to Merle Haggard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-farr/i-listen-to-lil-wayne-and-then-i-listen-to-merle-haggard/) [Tyler Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-farr/) > [I really like Alan Jackson, in Country Music. I think he's really very, very talented along with George Jones, and Merle Haggard, the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-tucker/i-really-like-alan-jackson-in-country-music-i-think-he-s-really-very/) [Tanya Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-tucker/) > [She is not old, she is not young, The Woman with the Serpent's Tongue. The haggard cheek, the hungering eye, The poisoned words that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-watson/she-is-not-old-she-is-not-young-the-woman-with-the-serpent-s-tongue/) [William Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-watson/) > [In your walks about London you will sometimes see bent, haggard figures that look as if they had recently been caught in some powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-your-walks-about-london-you-will-sometimes-see-bent-haggard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I continued toward Atlanta with a Merle Haggard C.D. playing on the stereo. They weren't great hosts, but those guys in The Ted Kaczynski…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcclellan/i-continued-toward-atlanta-with-a-merle-haggard-c-d-playing-on-the/) Ian McClellan > [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Richard Yates > [“Rachel was a girl who depended on small, recurrent rituals - that was one of the things he'd come to know about her, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/rachel-was-a-girl-who-depended-on-small-recurrent-rituals-that-was/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“In the East, he then believed, a man went to college not for vocational training but in disciplined search for wisdom and beauty, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/in-the-east-he-then-believed-a-man-went-to-college-not-for-vocational/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [God knows there certainly ought to be a window around here somewhere, for all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/god-knows-there-certainly-ought-to-be-a-window-around-here-somewhere/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“And you know what else I used to love? I loved to watch you get into your car and drive away - just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/and-you-know-what-else-i-used-to-love-i-loved-to-watch-you-get-into/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [if you don’t try at anything, you can’t fail… it takes back bone to lead the life you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/if-you-don-t-try-at-anything-you-can-t-fail-it-takes-back-bone-to/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“The movies were wonderful because they took you out of yourself, and at the same time they gave you a sense of being whole.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/the-movies-were-wonderful-because-they-took-you-out-of-yourself-and/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/do-you-know-what-the-definition-of-insane-is-yes-it-s-the-inability/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“It had been easy to decide in favor of love on Bethune Street, in favor of walking proud and naked on the grass rug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/it-had-been-easy-to-decide-in-favor-of-love-on-bethune-street-in/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Anybody's marriage might benefit from an occasional embargo on talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/anybody-s-marriage-might-benefit-from-an-occasional-embargo-on-talk/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“Sometimes in dreams there are visions of the past. For that reason Alice Prentice had always welcomed sleep, but she suffered an insomniac's dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/sometimes-in-dreams-there-are-visions-of-the-past-for-that-reason/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“There she was, lying on a single bed in a room so small that there wasn't even space for a chair, and the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/there-she-was-lying-on-a-single-bed-in-a-room-so-small-that-there/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“I grandi libri, come i grandi amici, devono essere condivisi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/i-grandi-libri-come-i-grandi-amici-devono-essere-condivisi/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [People did change, and a change could be a bloom as well as a withering...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/people-did-change-and-a-change-could-be-a-bloom-as-well-as-a-withering/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Hard work, is the best medicine yet devised for all the ills of man- and of woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/hard-work-is-the-best-medicine-yet-devised-for-all-the-ills-of-man/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“You still felt that life was passing you by? Sort of. I still had this idea that there was a whole world of marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/you-still-felt-that-life-was-passing-you-by-sort-of-i-still-had-this/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) [Explore all 140 Richard Yates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing tired your brains out. 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